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New Getting Building Fund supported development set to boost jobs in North Tyneside

MORE jobs are set to be created after the completion of a new industrial development in North Tyneside.

Commercial property and investment company UK Land Estates has finished construction of a new £4.5m building at its Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate.

The speculative development was partly funded with a £731,818 grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) via the Government-backed Getting Building Fund.

The North East LEP is managing £47m awarded through the Getting Building Fund to support capital investment across the North East. The Fund was established during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic to kick-start the economy, create jobs and help areas realise growth opportunities coming out of the pandemic.

The new building offers a total of 48,666 sq ft high quality industrial space for a range of occupiers and has an ‘A’-rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with an array of photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof providing free green energy for occupiers. 

Demand is high for the development, known as L6 and situated on the Intersect 19 area of the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate, with the unit already under offer from a potential tenant.

As well as having space for up to 125 full-time staff, L6 also supported jobs in the region’s construction sector during its build phase.

Tim Witty, development director at UK Land Estates, said: “We are delighted to have completed this important new building for businesses in the North East.

“As we have already seen in the response to L6’s completion, there is a lot of demand for this kind of accommodation from a wide range of different companies.

“However, carrying out speculative development in the current economic climate can be challenging so we were very grateful to the North East Local Enterprise Partnership for providing grant funding towards this project via the Getting Building Fund.

“The additional capital ensured we could get on with the build earlier than would otherwise have been possible, ensuring we could meet demand for high quality industrial space quicker.”

Helen Golightly OBE, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Despite recent economic shocks that have led to a cautious outlook for businesses, many are continuing to invest in their futures and sew the seeds for growth.

“Interest in commercial property across the North East has remained high, and the completed L6 industrial space on Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate is another example of how our region is delivering the infrastructure to support business growth, create more and better jobs, and strengthen the economy.

“This development is one of 20 projects across the North East LEP area to receive investment from the Getting Building Fund; ensuring key, strategic capital investments could continue during the pandemic and support our region’s economic recovery.”

Home / North Tyneside

Celebration event marks completion of improvement works at community garden

A celebration event is being held to mark the completion of improvement works at a community garden in North Tyneside.

The Meadow Well Connected’s Community Garden, in North Shields, was awarded £54,612 from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)’s Local Growth Fund VCSE Capital Grant programme to create an outdoor learning space, offer training for local residents, and revitalise areas including its wildlife pond and greenhouses.

People are invited to join the celebration event at The Meadow Well Connected Community Garden on Tuesday 31 May to see the improvements and take part in activities.

Mandi Cresswell, Chief Officer, Meadow Well Connected, which runs the community garden, said: “This funding has given the garden a real boost with the chance to make significant structural improvements to the garden including upgrading the main poly tunnel, regenerating our raised beds, improving the pathways and creating a wonderful wildlife pond where nature can flourish. It’s testament to the hard work of our staff and volunteers, alongside support from Capita and other volunteers, and will create new habitats and green spaces for everyone to enjoy.

“We can’t wait to see how the garden continues to develop as we have big plans and we’d love more local people to get involved.”

The event will be opened David Bavaird, the High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear, and people can take part in garden crafts, sports activities and garden tours. There will also be an exhibition showing before and after pictures of the improvements made to the site.

Meadow Well Connected is one of 14 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in the North East which were awarded funding from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)’s Local Growth Fund VCSE Capital Grant programme, which aims to help communities across the North East recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East LEP, said: “Over the last 18 months, this five-acre garden has flourished, with work placements and training giving people the opportunity to develop skills in landscaping and horticulture, plus a range of physical improvements including new pathways, raised beds for growing vegetables and a new wildlife pond.

“I’m pleased this funding has helped make sure Meadow Well Connected can continue to play a central role in the community and provide a place where people can learn new skills, connect with nature and connect with each other.”

Find out about other projects funded by the Local Growth Fund VCSE Capital Grant programme at www.northeastlep.co.uk.

The Meadow Well Connected Garden celebration event takes place between 12 noon and 3pm on Tuesday 31 May. Find out more at www.www.meadowwellconnected.org.uk.

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A new approach to holistic careers support in North Tyneside

A partnership between Marden High School in North Tyneside and their Enterprise Adviser has led to a new way of supporting students as they prepare to enter the world of work or further education.

Fiona Brennan, Career Lead at Marden High School, has been working in partnership with Jane Austin, Director of HR at water retail company Wave, with the aim of strengthening careers guidance for pupils at all levels of the school and working towards achieving more of the Gatsby Benchmarks which form a central part of the Government’s Careers Strategy.

Fiona Brennan explained: “We’ve recently worked with North Tyneside Learning Trust to implement mock interviews for the whole of Year 10. Local employers including Jane’s colleagues from Wave and also representatives from the Department of Work and Pensions, Accenture and Newcastle Building Society all took part, giving our students a real taste of what interviews are like and, importantly, helping us to identify where students need additional support.

“We found that some students needed extra help in identifying and describing the skills they have that relate to certain jobs and some need help with building their confidence, for example.

“We’re now in the process of implementing a new programme of one-to-one coaching/life-coaching for students, which is tailored to the specific needs of individual students as a result of these interviews.”

Jane Austin added: “This will help the students with their confidence and self-belief as well as helping them to understand what types of jobs are out there for them and the options they have.

“We wanted to take a more holistic view of preparing students for their future careers. It’s not just about academic success and that’s why we’ve taken this step of joining forces with a life-coaching service. I think it’s amazing; I don’t know of any other school that’s doing this and I think Marden High School deserves a lot of credit for providing this kind of tailored support.

The school also organised a full day event for Year 9 students, working with members of staff from Wave to run a Super Learning Day. Students took part in a tailored business game involving a series of workshops each based on a different area of work including HR, finance, marketing and production. Students gained experience in each area before pitching ideas to their peers and the panel of business representatives – a bit like Dragons’ Den.

“The students worked in teams and not only did they learn about these different areas of work but they developed their time management and team-working skills as well,” said Fiona.

“Events like this, along with the coaching programme, are something different from what we’ve done before and they wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t been working side by side with Jane and her team from Wave.”

Find out more about the North East LEP Enterprise Adviser programme.